Evil Children of Naor

This review is for the Kindle edition ebook.

Disclosure: I was given my copy of this book by the author as a review copy.

Riveting. Three stories in one book, all connected, yet individual.

This is a book of stories. It contains three stories of magic and demons. It will grab the readers attention, and hold it through each story.

When read as three separate books, separated by heading of Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, this is an excellent introduction to this authors' works. I like the fact that there are three separate stories in this book. while those stories are connected by a common thread, they can be read as individual stories. I would prefer the author explain that there are three separate stories.

The stories in this book exemplify the battle of good verses evil. The author does an excellent job of defining each and letting reader decide which characters are good and which are evil. There are several surprises as you read, allowing the reader to decide if good or evil wins each time.

I would recommend this book to all readers of horror stories. It has enough fantasy to interest those readers who enjoy magic and the battle of demons. I apologize to the author. I read this once, and did not realize it was actually three different stories. This caused me to lose my place reading as I tried to connect each book as I read. I will be reading the next book by this author, which also contains three stories.

I was kindly asked by the author to read "Evil Children of Naor" and provide an honest review. There are many good reviews the author has already received that accurately (and in great detail) describe what each of the three stories is about. Without repeating these themes, I'll focus on the author's strong points (which are many) and a few minor distractions. I thought the author wrote three very well written and entertaining books (short stories) that were very engaging. The author's writing style is very descriptive, especially when characterizing landscapes, customs/traditions, people, etc. You can tell that she put a lot of thought (and most likely research) into creating these civilizations. I could definitely envision in my mind where I was in each of the stories and really enjoyed that aspect of it. At the same time, I think a little more detail about some of the main characters (even some of the demons) would have been helpful to include. My impression of each book is included below:

In Book One (Darkness of Soul) the author kept my interest peaked trying to figure out who exactly is Namaris. I did feel that the short story format took a little bit away from fully developing her and the supporting characters. I agree with many of the reviewers that probably all of her short stories could have been written as full novels if she had chosen to done so. Book One for me is an example of that because of the quality of characters and story lines introduced. For example, unless I am completely blind, I don't remember seeing any physical description of the main character (Namaris). I thought that was a bit distracting in light of the effort the author took in describing everything else. Even though I am male, and the main protagonist is female, when I read a book, I try to identify with the characters. Being able to envision what they look like to me (i.e. hair color, eye color, height, etc.), is important. Also, Eldreden plays a main role in the story and I instinctively wanted to know much more about him including his training and experiences as a Kemeid. Also I was interested in the instruments of magic mentioned, including the silver locket and the blades of Yenew. It would have been great to have more information about the race that made them and how humans acquired them. Regardless, despite the brevity of the story, the author excelled at keeping my interest, especially the fight scene with the Sirvion.

In Book Two (The Blade of Hate), the story revolves around a knight named Tarion who is trying to figure out who killed a young girl in the woods and later is tasked with delivering a message from his Master to Ranidor Castle. I enjoyed reading the inner thoughts of Tarion trying to figure out who killed the girl as well as the interactions between Tarion and some of the supporting characters including Nandria, the Rat, and the Striga. I thought the author glanced over details about the Kemedi Order (as in the first book) and the tears of the goddess Mirge which contained great divine power. This was another story that I did not see any physical description of the protagonist. This may be intentional, but again, I found it a bit distracting not being able to envision what Tarion looked liked. Despite this, I thought the story was well thought out and did not turn out as one might expect. The author did a good job in this story in making the reader feel uncomfortable at times with the subject matter. For instance, when we learn about Manrus's feelings for a young woman, I found it quite disturbing and visceral. This is what I like about dark fantasy.

In Book Three (The Silence of Kurgans), the story revolves around Jansemi who lives on the endless steppes of Elmor and her encounters with some disturbing things during her journey. The author again, leaves it totally to the reader to figure out what the protagonist looks like, which seems so contrary to everything else she describes in detail. As with all her stories, the author did a really good job describing the customs and way of life of the people (in this case, the Elmorians). I enjoyed reading about life at the winter camp (especially the importance of horses to the people) and the main hunt the camp undertook. There was a great cast of supporting characters (including Sahiat, Kalaha, and Tensarev), all of which I wanted to know more about. Of all the stories, this was my favorite because it was so dynamic, especially with all that took place in Sarmediria, including the battle that ensued with the demon and other powers. It was a classic good versus evil fight.

Lastly, in my honest opinion, the cover design does not really serve the author's best interest from a marketing perspective. For me, because the woman on the cover is so voluptuous and scantily clad, yet ready for battle, I found it a little hard to take seriously. I wasn't offended by it in anyway; it just didn't evoke any realism to me. The artwork itself is very good. Nothing wrong with the artist. But the cover art to me caters strictly to a younger male audience, whereas the quality of the stories as a whole caters to everyone including young and old, and male and female (because the writing it very good). When I am shopping for a book to read on Amazon, I can't help but look at the cover art. I think that some older readers and maybe some women, might initially pass on what is otherwise a great collection of short stories, simply because of the cover. I probably would have passed reading it, if the author hadn't contacted me. Also, there are editorial issues that pop up sporadically throughout all three books, but I didn't find that it took away overall from enjoying the stories.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading each of these stories and was impressed with the level of detail the author put into them. All three stories were very entertaining, well written, and too short in my opinion. But reading these made me want to read her first book, Dark Children of Naor, which is also a collection of three short stories. I would definitely recommend.

Jeff
Indieproofreader@gmail.com

For a moment, forget the old adage about not judging a book by its cover. Take a look at the glorious cover to this collection of tales - look close and appreciate not just the detail that went into it, but the elements that are scattered throughout. Dark and fantastic, magical and horrific, it is one of those rare instances where the material inside delivers precisely upon expectations.

Much like she did in her first collection, Dark Children of Naor, Justyna Plichta-Jendzio has created another work of classic/traditional fantasy here that weaves together fully realized characters and complex monsters - some of whom are one and the same - and some very dark fairy-tale like themes.

With Evil Children of Naor we are once again presented with a trio of stories, linked both thematically and by their shared world. Here, the fight is against an evil within, which raises some interesting questions about who we are born to be and who we choose to become.

The first story, featuring Namaris' fateful confrontation with the truth about her parentage, is the perfect choice to kick off the collection. It really sets the tone in terms of pacing and subject matter, and quite cleverly lulls the reader into a false sense of comfort before letting the clues begin to slip. Tarion's story is as different from the first as he is from the lovely Namaris, but it was probably my favourite of the three. While the each story had its strength, there was something about the flawed sort of heroism there that called to me. Jansemi's story brings us full circle, in a sense, with a story that echoes some of the themes of Namaris, but which is entirely it's own narrative.

If you enjoyed your first trip to Naor, then you are certain to enjoy this return visit. If you are new to Justyna Plichta-Jendzio's world, however, fret not. Evil Children of Naor can most certainly be enjoyed as a standalone collection of tales, and loses nothing with being read first. You will notice I said 'first' . . . because you will want to back and read Dark Children of Naor as well.

Impressive Fantasy Stories Sprinkled with Rich Folk Lore.

I absolutely enjoyed reading this well crafted collection of vivid fantasy tales. And, I would imagine all fans of this genre will love sinking their teeth into this one also!

This captivating and commendable work had me immersed from the beginning. The overall work flows from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows excellent ability when it comes to storytelling.

As much as this genre can be predictable, I found this flight of the imagination to be refreshingly imaginative. There are twists and turns in this page turner that will take the reader on a thrilling and magical journey. Also, the writing style is straightforward which makes for a rewarding read.

This is a rare collection of stories that only come along once in a while which makes you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. I’m giving nothing away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery!

A highly recommended read!

Like Justyna's Dark Children of Naor, Evil Children of Naor's cover will pull you into a world full of excitement...and terror.

Don't skip the quick intro that follows the cover, it sets a dark tone for the tales to follow.

This time out we learn about Namaris, Tarion, and Jansemi. Each of their stories takes place in the world of Naor. From what I've read, it seems like a pretty rough place - for both people and demons!

My favorite here was the first story, featuring Namaris. There were multiple reveals, the final one quite exciting. You'd get your money's worth if you stopped here, but you won't want to miss what follows. Each story is wrapped up nicely, but don't always expect a traditional happy ending.

Hopefully it won't be long before we can return to Naor for the next book in this series.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND to fans of dark fantasy, both those who have read Dark Children of Naor and those who haven't...yet.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading through this book, a collection of three stories set in the same world. The storytelling is rich and brings you into the author's world which is deep and fantastic; it's clear the author has put much work into the world and its history, its denizens and characters.

The author is not afraid to do the unexpected, and in telling her stories she shows that no character is truly good or bad, and no character is safe; there is no allegiance to the immortality of main characters here. This gives her so much more freedom to carry along her stories without holding to tropes or cliches. The lack of these things and her originality was a fantastic break from other more predictable stories.

What I enjoyed most, apart from a world the author has clearly fleshed out -- and such dedication I admire -- is the depth of characters. There are many, but it doesn't seem like it; each one is unique and intriguing in their own way, and no matter their purpose, I found myself attached to all of them. The combination of characters and world made these stories a great read.

I would definitely recommend this to any lover of high fantasy and rich lore.